Sampling dragonflies in the NCCN: Protecting resources and inspiring stewardship

One of the most recognized citizen science projects across the National Park Service, the Dragonfly Mercury Project (DMP) is a decade-long, nationwide assessment that uses dragonfly larvae as indicators of mercury risk in national parks. Contributing to 80% of fish consumption advisories across the U.S., mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that can harm human and wildlife health, and impact park visitors. Five North Coast & Cascades Network (NCCN) parks – Olympic NP, Mount Rainier NP, North Cascades NP, San Juan Island NHP, Lewis and Clark NHP – have been longtime participants in the DMP, some since as early as 2012. Findings across parks and years show that 58 percent of NCCN site-year data fall in the moderate or higher impairment categories, suggesting top predator fish may exceed human consumption thresholds and wildlife may be at risk from elevated Hg levels. In addition to quantifying risk, long-term records from NCCN parks also contribute to spatial and temporal models of Hg across the U.S. and feed into our understanding of the effectiveness of Hg emission reductions. Various public participants have helped sample dragonflies in NCCN parks, fostering the connection between people and parks. Lewis and Clark NHP staff remarked, “it has been a favorite activity mentioned by interns every year,” showcasing programmatic benefits for multiple end-users and underscoring the importance of continued participation.

Colleen Flanagan Pritz, Katherine Ko
Air Resources Division, National Park Service

Colleen Emery, Dr. James Willacker, Dr. Collin Eagles-Smith
US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Presentation given at North Coast & Cascades Science Days, 2024
go.nps.gov/sciencedays
[OLYM] [MORA] [SAJH] [NOCA] [LEWI]